Beauty

It is rumored that the two influences in Michael Kors collection this fall were Amy Winehouse and Alfred Hitchcock. The heroines, aka models, in his story on the runway were Kim Novak-esque complete with teased hairs that rivaled Amy Winehouse’s famous hive.

For me, the look carried much of the Sexy Librarian look. Think chic, polished, sleek, and sexy. Each look hugged the body in all of the right places, but carried an elegance and poshness that only Michael Kors could pull off. Colors came in rich fall tones, and when Kors strayed from that he used a variety of shades in lilacs and purples. Olives, balmacaans, and camel were hit shades on his runway. We saw long narrow skirts, cashmere sweaters, cropped print pants, and when adding a hint of sophisticated chic a little bit of sable and mink stoles were toss in. All of this over tweed jackets or plaid skirts.

When it was time for the Kors cocktail hour collection, metallics were his shades and fabrics of choice. Strapless gold and silvery princess dresses that came embellished stole the scene. And when it was time to showcase formal wear, it was the column gowns with the Watteau backs that really impressed.

Want some fashion advice? Get it from the best – Nina Garcia the Queen of Fashion over at Elle Magazine. Today and over the next few days I am going to give you some excerpts from Nina Garcia’s The Little Black Book of Style. I have talked about this book before over here, when it was first released, but now that it’s been out for a bit, it’s worth a deeper look. For the cost of lunch, you can pick this book up and have at your fingertips Elle Magazine’s primo fashion genius, uh director, gives you some quintessential tips on how to dress with decorum, and even more importantly, how to make your fashion dollar go from season to season. You will find in her inspiration from the greats in the fashion industry, as well as everything you need to know on the must-haves, and how to wear them.

Nina talks about investing in the bones for your wardrobe throughout the book, and those bones are what we are going to be covering.

“The bones of your wardrobe are those essential staples that go with almost everything, never go out of style, and are enduringly chic. They are meant to be the black canvas onto which you can add layers….these staples transcend time, trends, and travel. They can go from day to night, season to season, and they can still be worn five years from now.”

What are they? Let’s have a look…

The Little Black Dress. Capital L, Capital B, Capital D.

This is the ultimate blank canvas…mysterious, chic, understated, and provocative…it will flatter you, but it will not detract from the rest of you. It lets your hair, accessories, and your personality take center stage. And the slimming effect – let’s not forget the slimming effect.

This Diane von Furstenberg Bateau neck wrap dress is a classic example. For $300, your fashion dollar can stretch for years to come. Throw a cardigan or cropped jacket on this for day, and hang that sweater up for evening. Perfect! One is never over or underdressed with a little black dress – Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel, Creative Director)
The Cashmere Sweater.

“In all kinds of weather, and for any kind of occasion, throwing on cashmere makes you feel instantly luxe. A cashmere cardigan is perfect over anything – a dress, T-shirt, button down shirt – but also incredibly sexy when worn alone. A cashmere turtleneck is perfect when paired with just about everything – jeans, trousers, and skirts.”

This Michael Kors Cashmere turtleneck sweater is again, also a very solid investment. I do not believe in God. I believe in cashmere. ~Fran Lebowitz (Author)

The Trench Coat.

“A classic trench can work in any kind of weather and goes well with almost anything (or almost nothing if you are feeling very film noir). But the best part of the trench coat is that it makes you instantly mysterious. Wear it with big sunglasses if you want to really channel your inner detective, spy, or fugitive”.

1. Can I wear wedge heels with black tights and a skirt?

The answer to this question is YES. The key to pulling this off is a few things. You want your tights to stay in the same color family as the shoe, and you want to think monochromatic. This season is all about the sleek silhouette, so the cleanest lines is what you are looking for. Also, this season is FALL. So when you think wedges, it’s time to put away the cork and the straw wedges until you go on vacation or, well, summer. How do you make tights and wedges work? First, you need a pair of wedges that is in season, then you want to pair it with tights in the color family along the monochromatic tones. Let’s look at this beautiful set of wedges from the shoe god Christian Louboutin that you can pick up at Net-A-Porter by clicking here. You want to go with black tights for this one. The length of the skirt doesn’t really matter, but really black is the only way to go here. It keeps the line of the leg nice and elongated with that pretty wedge. When you are pairing tights with wedges, always stay in the same color palette, otherwise there is just too many things going on at once and you are distracting from the beauty of the shoe!

2. Can I wear tights with peep-toes?

What the heck, we have already dished him today, let’s continue to do so. And why not, his shoes are worthy of more than a few gasps. The answer to this question is again, YES, and the same rules apply. Stay in the color family and stay monochromatic so that you don’t have too many ‘busies’ going on. Here you have Christian Louboutin’s Very Privee pumps featuring his signature color blocking on the sole and heel, the prettiest little gold toe, a hidden platform, and a 120 mm heel. Pick ‘em up at Net-A-Porter. And how are you going to wear these with tights? Again, black would work beautifully with these.

Now you have no excuse not to go out and buy this season’s biggest shoe trends – peep-toes and wedges. Hey, why not get a peep toe wedge? These Waxy Wedge Shoes in the Kors line by Michael Kors are also available at Net-A-Porter and feature a very pretty ankle strap. They also feature a gorgeous silver accent on the heel which means easily these can go from day to night in a jiffy. You know what I am going to say, right? Yup. Black tights.